Split 2 Brings Back More Unbreakable Stars

5 months ago

We have known for quite some time that M. Night Shyamalan’s Split 2, which is currently going under the title Glass, will bring back Unbreakable stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price. Today we have word that two more Unbreakable stars will return. Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard will reprise their roles as David Dunn’s son Joseph and Elijah’s mother, who will both join Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Split stars James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, and Sarah Paulson in an unspecified role. This may be the first of many casting announcements, since production is expected to begin quite soon.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news today, although it isn’t clear if any other characters from Unbreakable are being brought back as well. The original movie also starred Robin Wright as Audrey Dunn, David’s estranged wife and Joseph’s mother, and Eamonn Walker as Dr. Mathison. Given the importance of comic books throughout this story, it’s possible that Bostin Christopher will also be brought back as a comic book clerk. Michael Kelly, who would later go on to star on House of Cards with Robin Wright, also had a small supporting role as an ER doctor.

Last week, producer Jason Blum confirmed that Glass is in fact a superhero movie, and while there will certainly be comic book themes in place, it will be based on M. Night Shyamalan’s original script, and not any established comic books. Still, the original Unbreakable was seen foreshadowing Hollywood’s current obsession with comic books and superhero stories, hitting theaters in 2000, the same year the first true superhero blockbuster hit theaters, 20th Century Fox’s X-Men. The story will follow Bruce Willis’ David Dunn, who starts tracking down the movements of The Beast, the hideous character that Kevin Wendell Crumb turns into at the end of Split, while Elijah Price emerges as an “orchestrator” of the events that unfold, who holds secrets about both Dunn and Crumb.

Last month, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that Glass rehearsals start on September 18, and that he starts principal photography on September 25. This project came together exceedingly fast, since we just learned in January that Split is set in the same universe as Unbreakable, thanks to an epic post-credit scene. The Glass movie was officially announced in April, with Universal Pictures setting a January 18, 2019 release date for the movie. If production does in fact start in just a few short days, that means M. Night Shyamalan will have roughly 15 months for principal photography and post-production.

Both Split and Unbreakable fared well in both of their box office outings, 17 years apart. Unbreakable, which debuted a year after M. Night Shyamalan’s breakout hit The Sixth Sense, earned $95 million domestic and $248.1 million worldwide, from a $75 million budget, back in 2000. Split took in an impressive $138.1 million domestic and $276.9 million worldwide during its theatrical run that kicked off in January, working from a measly $9 million budget. Spencer Treat Clark recently starred as the villainous Werner Von Strucker on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and as Adrian on TNT’s Animal Kingdom. Charlayne Woodard has most recently guest starred in episodes of People of Earth, The Blacklist and The Leftovers.